Date: Thu, 28 Nov 2002 06:31:43 +0000 From: Douglas DD DD Subject: The Survivors. Chapter 31 CHAPTER 31 Education by Douglas DD This story contains sex between minor boys and teen-agers. If such things offend you, or you are not at least 18 years of age, then please don't read on. This story is not true, but who knows, maybe some day it will be. Enghar heard the news of the other boys when he got up in the morning. He wasn't sure what to think. He was excited for Matthew, if they were his friends. But then, what if they were the ones who buried him in the desert and left him there? Would he want to see them then? Would Matthew want to see them? And what about himself? He loved Mattoo, the round eared boy. But he knew he would want to be back with his friends from his own planet who he could talk to. He was glad his parents told him not to tell him. He and Matthew were abloe to communicate well enough already that he probably could. But he really didn't want Matthew to know. He had a full day planned with Matthew though. His dad said Matthew's leg was coming along fine, and that by the end of the week they might be able to leave the house some. And Matthew's teacher would be starting tomorrow, and soon Matthew would know enough of the Hakaan language that they might be able to talk. He went into his bedroom. Matthew was still asleep. They slept together again. like they had every night since Matthew came to his house. He wanted to kiss his friend awake for breakfast. He leaned over his smooth cute face. Then he changed his mind and crawled in under the blankets, getting his face between Matthew's legs. There was more than one way to wake somebody up, he thought as his tongue met Matthew's young piece of boyhood. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Robert Charles hadn't ridden anything in a long time and his butt was getting sore. But they kept on going down into the desert. Nobody was going to take sympathy on a round-ears sore butt. When they got out of the mountains he was going to be expected to lead them. He had drawn them the twin peaks and they nodded. He might not be the smartest guy in the world, but he was no dummy either. He knew he might want to get back, and paid close attention to how Scooter navigated them. He even asked Scooter questions about it. He was pretty sure how to do it. He knew they wouldn't get there exactly, but he could get them close. The large tail of the "Moonduster" should be easy to see when they got close. It was the last thing they saw when they left it. He was sure he would be going back to the shuttle. And now it would be the best yet. To get what was needed to be with the people who wanted power and to be able to get what was needed for his revenge. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bandar came into the gym and was pleased to see almost all of the boys sleeping together. In that way they were just like Hakaanen boys. He started waking them up. He said some of the adults would be there soon to make them breakfast and that he had the key to the shower room. They rubbed the sleep out of their eyes and walked to take their pees and to shower. There were twenty shower heads, more than enough for everybody. They wanted to take long showers. It was the first time since being on the "Starkeeper" that they stood under hot water taking a shower. It seemed like a lifetime ago. And it felt so good. They were quickly washing each other, all of their parts, and more than one of them got hard from it. Even Jordan got washed as Douglas took care of him. Jordan needed somebody tp be his friend soon, Douglas thought. It wasn't right that he was being left out. Bandar was told to say nothing of the other round eared boy. He couldn't believe that Douglas and these boys could have buried Matthew and left him behind. But for now, he figured he should obey the adults. He watched them shower, and saw them get excited washing each other. He wished he could shower with them. He found the alien boys to be very sexy and didn't bother hiding his erection. Mike saw it and waved him into the shower. Bandar didn't hesitate. He walked in and soon he and Mike and Alex were cleaning each other. Bandar pointed to his dick and made sucking motions. The round-eared boys seemed to like what Hakaanen boys liked. Mike nodded yes. He wondered what Hakaanen cum tasted like. Oh well, he thought, I don't suppose it's poisonous. I guess somebody has to be the first to have sex with an extraterrestrial. Of course he didn't know about Matthew. None of them did. They still thought they were the ones who had made first contact. Mike got down on his knees in front of Bandar's beautifully shaped cock. He slipped it into his mouth and started sucking on Bandar's hard six inch cock. Bandar got lost in the feeling, started humping Mike's eager mouth, and worked himself close to an orgasm. The other boys stopped what they were doing and watched fascinated as Mike sucked the extraterrestrial off. Ryan got down on the shower floor and put Mike's dick in his mouth, jacking himself off. Bandar kicked back his head and howled, shooting his hot thick cum into Mike's mouth, which got Mike so hot he shot his load hard into Ryan's sucking mouth. Everybody else was jacking off or being jacked off, and cum started flying everywhere. The twins, who had heard sex going on but had never seen it, stood amazed, beating their hard little dicks to a dry cum. The couldn't believe guys had dicks in their mouths, and they wondered what that was like. Maybe it was something else new to find out. After the showers they had a breakfast put together by the adults. Most of them were parents of the boys they met the day before at the lake. The boys helped serve the huge delicious breakfast. The boys were filled and happy. Bandar told them it was now time for a meeting. They had to decide what was going to be done with them all now. This was the moment Douglas was not looking forward to. And he still had that 8-4 split. It was going to keep him from taking a tough stand on keeping them all together. They all sat around some tables in the cafeteria. Before the meeting started the twins and Brett came up to Douglas. "We just want you to know that no matter what happens, as much as we don't want to fight and move, we're behind you. We all stay together, like you said." Douglas smiled. Now he knew he could take a tough stand. He had them all behind him. And it was time to see what was being planned for them. Scooter and Douglas sat together so they could do the thought relay thing with Bandar. "Dooglass and Scootah, this is Andorn, the mayor of our village. What I say will be from him, and I will tell him what you have to answer." "Okay. Remember to keep your thoughts slow and quiet for Scooter." Mayor Andorn has found places for you to stay for now. We never had anything like this happen before." "By places, you mean we're going to be split up?" Bandar talked to the mayor for a couple of minutes. "We have families in Awanstor, in the neighboring village, and on some farms who will take you in. We have ten families, so some can be together." Now it was Douglas's turn to talk. He told the group what he just heard. He asked them again if they were all together on this. They said they were. "Bandar, tell the mayor we appreciate all of his work. But right now we can't let ourselves get split up." Bandar talked to the mayor again. The mayor frowned. Then he talked with a couple of parents and frowned some more. The talking went on some more. "What's going on, Bandar?" "They can't believe you said no. Now they're talking this over. Kids here don't say no very often." "I guess we're a little more willing to. And we won't be split up all over the valley." "It's not like that. Just here and the neighboring village and a couple of farms." "We got here together. We stay together." The adults kept talking. Then the mayor talked to Bandar. "He says that we need to keep you somewhere. There is no place to keep thirteen boys. You have to understand there is no place to put all of you. People are going out of their way to help you. You don't have a choice." "Tell him we do have a choice. We survived in the mountains and the hills. We can do it here in the valley. We appreciate the help. But we're a family too. We need to be together." Once again Bandar talked to the mayor and the parents. They pointed and talked and then the mayor talked to Bandar. "He says you can't all live in the wild. We can make things comfortable. You need a home." "We won't be separated. We won't be sent all over the valley. We will run away first before we let that happen." Douglas could be very stubborn when he needed to be, and now he had total confidence in his ability to lead his group. He was using all of his stubbornness and strength now. He was going to stand up for his family. Because that's what they were now, a family. Bandar talked to the mayor again. The mayor said something back. Bandar turned to Scooter and Douglas. "He wants to know if we can meet in private." "Why? Nobody knows the language." "For looks I think. So we aren't all taking a stand in front of everybody." "Gotcha. You, me, the mayor, and Scooter." That was agreed to. They went back into a classroom and all sat down. "The mayor wants to know if you will compromise. If there is a way out of this?" Douglas almost wanted to smile. He was going to get something. His family wasn't going to be pushed around. "Tell him I'll listen." The mayor said some things to Bandar. "He says what if you stay in groups of two or three? And you all stay here in the village?" "Tell him we want to be able to meet every day. All of us. They give us a place and get us there and back." Bandar talked to the mayor. "He says he needs to talk to the rest of the adults." "That's okay, because I have to meet everybody too." They left the classroom and went back to the cafeteria. The Mayor talked to the parents who were there. Douglas talked to the boys. "I think it's the best we can get. We will at least be in the same village and can see each other every day." "I don't like it," said Alex. "I don't like it at all. I don't like us getting separated. I'm worried something is going to happen." "They seem to be pretty fair," Mike said. "I mean look how they treat their own kids. That tells a lot." "I agree," Scooter said. He was fighting a headache from being the relay again, but he needed to support his love. "They've treated us fair. We will see each other every day. If something isn't working we will know it and can discuss it." They took a vote. It was 12-0. Alex didn't agree, but he also knew they didn't need somebody who was against things right now. He voted with Douglas because he respected Douglas's leadership. Jordan didn't care. He voted the way everybody else did. The Hakaan adults met and agreed to what Douglas wanted. The mayor thought they seemed to understand. The Hakaan were good at raising kids, and if the round eared kids were like their kids, then they should be listened to. They seemed to be polite and nice, but there still was the thing about Matthew. How he got buried and left behind. But they couldn't ask without giving away that they had found Matthew. And they couldn't tell them about Matthew until they knew how much they could trust them. After finding out how many boys each family could take the mayor went to meet with Douglas again. He talked with Bandar and Bandar started to communicate with Scooter and Douglas. "We have places for you to stay. Here is where and how many can stay. You can decide who stays where." Bandar gave them the information. Anybody can pretty much stay anywhere, but da...the mayor would like you and Scooter." "Whose house is yours? I think we would love staying there. But if that's how he wants it, he's been good to us. We'll do it." "I think you'll like it. The mayor is my dad." All three of them smiled. Bandar was becoming a good friend already. The boys sat down to decide who went where. Scooter and Douglas were going with the mayor. Mike, Alex, Stevie, and Jim would be staying with Grallen's grandparents. Grallen was 13. His parents didn't have room, but the grandparents did and agreed to take in four boys. The twins would be staying with Honneg, who was 11. One family agreed to take in one boy. Jordan was it. He was the loner. They had two sons, Misha, 12, and Kynon, 10. Brett and Jeremy would be with Drobauk, who was 14 like Bandar. Ryan and Travis were going to stay with Prekan, who was 12. Through all this they all wondered where the moms were. All they ever saw were the dads. They found out soon enough as they went to their new living places. Most of the boys had two dads and no moms. So a lot of the men there were partners. They actually were seeing both parents. Douglas and Scooter found out this was the way of the Hakaanen, but sometimes a dad and mother lived together with their kids. Enghar's parents were like that, but they didn't know that then. And Matthew thought he was in a normal family. It was for Earth, but not for the Hakaanen. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Robert Charles hated the desert. He knew it would still be a couple of days to find the "Moonduster", maybe less he hoped. The unicorns were way faster than the sleds were and they were making good time. They were ready to make their camp. He could see the twin peaks. Tonight he would use what he remembered about the stars to get them in the right direction. The Shkah knew how to navigate from there. They would get close. Vordkan and Robert Charles had their sleeping bags close together in their two man tent. And even though it wasn't how the Shkah did it, Vordkan was seventeen and he did have the instincts of the Hakaanen. Without asking he zipped their sleeping bags together and both of them took care of the things horny boys need to take care of while they both thought of a certain girl back in the valley. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Matthew was pleased when Enghar brought a couple of friends to visit. They were both 12 and were lovers. They had been cautioned not to make a big deal of Matthew. But any warnings were unneccessary. They liked Matthew right away and soon had fun teaching him new words. Enghar, who didn't have a real lover yet, just good friends like the two who were there, told them that Matthew was his lover. Enghar enjoyed sex with all his friends, but saying he had a lover made this friendship very special. The two Hakaan boys were somewhat suprised at the announcent however. The last thing they thought would be their friend Enghar falling for the alien boy. "Ost lesha drey, Mattoo," he said to Matthew hugging him. "Ost lesha drey, Engar," he said back. "I lova yoo, Mattoo," Enghar said. "I love you, Engar." The two boys kissed and Matthew realized he didn't mind kissing and being hard in front of Enghar's friends. Besides, he thought, they weren't any different then Enghar. Or even from the friends he had on the `Starkeeper'. And that night, while watching vids, the boys were on the couch together, holding hands, touching, and kissing. Enghar's parents didn't seem to mind at all. In fact they acted like it was completely normal. The boys went to Enghar's room a half hour before his bed time. Everybody knew what was going to happen there. Enghar wanted to make his love to Matthew complete. Matthew found out that Enghar's hard Hakaanen erection felt perfect in his butt. And Enghar had never been in an ass as hard and tight as his round eared lover's was. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ That night, except for their scouting expeditions, the boys were split from each other for the first time since Robert Charles blasted them from the "Starkeeper". The twins shared a bed in the guest room. They practiced what Drew had shown Drake in the gymnasium. Drake liked the lessons his twin brother was giving him. Scooter and Douglas had their own room too. They made love almost all night. Bandar knew they needed to be left alone this first night alone. He could tell that these two boys were lovers. He knew he liked them and wanted to have more sex with these strange round eared boys. Grallen was his lover, but they both played around and they both had already talked about having sex with the alien boys. Mike, Alex, Stevie, and Jim had the entire upstairs of the house they were in to themselves. And they took advantage of it more than one time that first night. Everybody got everybody. Brett and Jeremy shared a room with Drobauk. He had a large bed and the three of them shared it. Both of them found out that the Hakaanen knew a lot about making a boy feel good. The same happened with Ryan, Travis, and Prekan. Prekan was only 12, but the Hakaanen learned love making young. He had Ryan and Travis doing things to each other they didn't even know were possible. Jordan locked himself in his room. He wanted nothing to do with Misha and Kynon. He wanted nothing to do with anybody. He lost Matthew. He lost Robert Charles, who he hated and loved at the same time. And he pretty much hated the rest of the boys. Douglas thinks he is so great, but all he does is make sure I'm not liked by anybody, Jordon thought. He makes sure I don't get included in anything. He had already forgotten being on the scouting trip. He felt alone and lost and wanted his dad and his position on the "Starkeeper" back. For the first time that he could remember he got his pillow wet with tears. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Morning came and Enghar headed for school. He kissed Matthew good-bye and skipped on his way there. He kept hoping Matthew would never find out about the other round eared boys. But he also knew that was impossible. It would happen as soon as the adults figured out the best time and way to do it. Matthew waited for his tutor to come. He was going to start getting language lessons. The retired teacher, who was Matthew's teacher, soon showed up and met with Enghar's parents. "Mattoo is not to know of the discovery of the other round eared boys for now. We don't know if they were the ones who harmed him. They will not be told of Mattoo either until we learn more," the doctor said. "Very well. This will be interesting. No teacher has ever had to teach a whole new language. I hear Enghar has been teaching him words." "He has, and Mattoo seems to be very bright. Good luck, Modar. He is very sweet and Enghar seems to like him a lot. In fact even more than a lot." The teacher went into the den. Matthew was sitting at a desk working on a computer. He was slowly figuring it out. It wasn't that different from the ones he'd used even if he couldn't understand the writing. He could figure out the icons. He heard the teacher come in and looked up. Matthew now knew enough to be able to introduce himself and soon they were busy with language lessons. Matthew was going to learn Hakaanen so he could start being like Enghar and his new friends. And deep down this made him very happy. Matthew liked Modar and the lessons started out well. Matthew was smart and wanted to learn the language. He got right down to his lessons. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The boys had their first daily meeting at the school after school was out. Some of them got rides, some of them even walked. All thirteen of them were there. "It's been quite a couple of days," Douglas said. "The question is, where do we go from here?" "We need to learn the language," Ryan said. The he paused for a moment and said, "But we do seem to communicate okay without it though." He looked at Travis with a big smile. Just about everybody seemed to know what he meant. "Well, Scooter has something to say about that. Tell them what you told me this morning, love." "I found out I am understanding more and more of their talk. I think it's because I'm the relay. Somehow by doing it I'm learning the language." "Wow," Alex said. "I'm impressed. And this could work big time in our favor." "How so?" Jeremy asked. "If they don't know we can understand them, then they might give something away we should know. We need to keep this our secret until we start getting language lessons. Then they might get careful. But right now they could let something slip, " Alex said. "They think they need both you and Douglas, when in fact you are beginning to understand it on your own." "What could they let slip?" Jim asked. "I don't know. But we really don't know much about these beings. This is a chance for us to find out. I say we don't let them know that Scooter understands them. I just think it might end up helping us." "I agree with Alex," Douglas said. "I think we need to keep this secret as long as we can. And maybe we should try being slow learners for a while when it comes to learning their language." He thought for a few seconds. "Of course we might be anyway." He got a laugh on that one from everybody but Jordan, who just sat quietly in a corner. Nobody seemed to notice him. Everybody said they were happy with where they were staying and that their first night went well. They found out that Hakaanen boys were very much into sex. Not only that, they were very sweet. They all liked the Hakaanen, although Jordan didn't say much of anything. And the twins said they weren't into sex, which was fine with everybody. The meeting broke up and they headed back to their homes. Douglas thought about Scooter's ability to understand the language. He wondered if he would learn anything useful. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Evening set in once again. Robert Charles, Vordkan, and the four men they were with set up their tents. Once again Robert Charles and Vordkan set their sleeping bags together, but this time they were so tired nothing happened. In the village of Ananstor the boys pretty much had the same kind of night except at the mayor's house. Bandar, Scooter, and Douglas were sharing thoughts. Bandar wanted to know if he could show him the love of the Hakaanen. Scooter and Douglas were willing. He told them about his mane and how good it felt to be stroked. He let them both make love to him. Douglas was amazed as to what Bandar knew about sex and different positions. Bandar was gentle sometimes and went hard sometimes. But he made sure Douglas and Scooter both got the best feelings they could. All of them cummed three times before the evening was over. The sex made them all feel good, but the good feelings were more than sex. Bandar was their friend. They weren't alone on this strange planet. He said maybe they could include Grallen next time. Scooter and Douglas were willing. Bandar slept with them that night, Scooter tightly squeezed between him and Douglas. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Shkah men finished their meeting. They had had a lot to drink. It was their favorite drink, a fruit wine made from something close to the grapes on Earth. Their plans were close to finished. "So, Ghanrahs, you say that the boys have been split up? Excellent." "Yes, Arkron. Our agent's suggestion to have them split up and spread out was not successful. Their leader was very stubborn, and the Mayor was much to eager to please him. Much different from a Hakaan young one. I don't know of many of our young ones even, who could have led a group of young ones across the desert and the mountains. And he refused to have them spread out as we wanted." "It sounds like he could be a problem in the future. He could be a formidable foe, even as young as he is. And Robbachass doesn't seem to like him. I wonder who is the strongest of the two? So, who is going to be the easiest to kidnap? And should this Dooglass be one of them?" "The two very small young ones live near the edge of the village. They should be easy to take. And I have another idea what to do with to with their leader. I fear he will find a way to get them all together against us in some way. It seems strange I should fear a young one, but I believe this round eared one has powers we don't know of. It is said he communicates mind to mind. What else can he do? What other powers does he have?" "So what do you want to do, Ghanrahs?" "Kill him. When our party goes down into the big valley we kidnap the two young ones to test Robbachass and we eliminate the leader of the round eared young ones. They will be too disorganized to bother us after that. And the Hakaanen have been peaceful for so long they won't know how to deal with this." "We have never killed before. It's been just small raids. This will show them we are serious, and because it is all happening to the round ears they will not become as angry as if it was one of their own young ones. I like the idea Ghanrahs. Make it so. When do you leave?" "Before dawn tomorrow. The four of us. We will be back the next day." Arkron got up and gave Ghanrahs a huge hug and looked at the rest. "May you find success. The Shkah are ready to take over the big valley. This will be our first step. The killing of the round eared leader will show we are serious now. We have waited long enough. This is the start of our victory. Good luck." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The next morning the boys woke up with their hosts, except for Mike, Jim, Alex, and Stevie. No kids were at their house and they slept in. Scooter and Douglas were having breakfast with Bandar and his family. The food was delicious as usual. Douglas didn't know if it was so good because they had lived so long on food out of a box or bag or because they really did grow extra tasty food in the valley. And I really don't care, he thought. No matter what it is really good. Scooter was listening to the talk between Bandar and his parents and between his parents. He thought it was weird that Bandar's family was different because it had a mom and a dad who lived together. Most Hakaanen children bounced between families and didn't think anything of it. They were way different from Earth families. But they seemed to be together more. And moms and dads did things together with their children. He didn't really understand it all. They followed Bandar into his room as he got ready for school. Another thing he couldn't get used to. They didn't even wear clothes at school. Sometimes they wore something to be different, maybe just a shirt, but being naked was cool. "It's so amazing all of you made it here," Bandar said. "You did an amazing job." "I suppose we should tell him, love," Douglas told Scooter. "Yeah." "We lost two boys," Douglas said. "I wasn't perfect." Douglas could feel the sadness come up at losing Matthew. He felt nothing about Robert Charles. "Really? I'm sorry." This is interesting, he thought. Maybe he would learn about Mattoo. "What happened?" "One boy I had to exile. Kicked him out. He was stealing water. Water is life. So he was stealing life. He couldn't stay with us any longer." Was that Mattoo? Bandar wondered. He never met him but he heard he was very nice. Was he a boy who would steal water from his friends? "Where did you send him?" Maybe he buried him. That wasn't exile, that was murder. "I sent him off into the desert. I don't know what happened to him. He was taking our life from us. It was the only thing I could do." Well, he didn't bury him in the sand, Bandar thought. "What about the other one?" "Just before we got to the mountains we got hit by a giant sandstorm. The wind was unbelievable. Poor Matthew...he got hurt when we landed...we were hoping if we found the valley somebody could help him...and in the dark..and the wind...and we kind of thought somebody else had him." Bandar saw tears start. "We lost him. The wind blew over the tent and the sand buried it..it was dark and everything was different and when it got light..we...we.." Douglas was crying now. His thought was like a whisper "We lost him. We couldn't find him. We left him there alone..and I was responsible..I was in charge..and I ...I...I had to leave him." He put his head on Scooter's shoulder. It was all coming back to him, that awful night in the desert. Scooter whispered, "We left him, my love. We all left him. Not just you. You did the best you could." Scooter had tears too. Bandar looked at them both. He could see their love, and he could sense the love they had for the boy they left behind. He was sure that the boy was the one who was found buried and that nobody left him there on purpose. "We loved him," Douglas said. Bandar came over and gave them a both a big hug. He wished he could tell him that the boy was safe and well, but he better check with his dad first. He might not be the boy, and maybe there was stuff going on he didn't know. He gave them both another hug and left for school. He would talk with his dad about what he heard after school. Scooter led Douglas over to the bed, and it gave Douglas some of his sweetest love making. Douglas cummed over himself with his love inside him filling him with his sweet love juice, making them one. Douglas felt whole and strong again. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The riders went through the forest and stayed off the road. They stopped outside the village. They were going to split up soon to do their jobs. The Shkah had raided some farms and messed up some fields, but they never hurt anybody. And they still weren't going to hurt any Haakenen. Yet. Hurting the round ears didn't count. "So, we take the two young ones from here," one of the riders pointed at the map. Another one pulled his bow out of his saddle. He put an arrow in it. He walked over to a tree and put a read cloth on it about head high. Then he walked back to the other Shkah men. "I will be behind the back of the house. I've seen how it's laid out. I will hide there all day until I get a shot. You guys don't go after the boys until you get my signal." They had radios to communicate with. The Hakaan had some guns, but they didn't let the Shkah have any before they left the valley. And the Hakaan only used them for hunting. The Shkah men knew if the could get the round ears guns they would have a big advantage, because they had been spending years practicing to fight, something the Hakaan knew nothing about. The man aimed the arrow and let go. It his the cloth target right in the middle. "I think they will be leaderless by the time tomorrow ends." The rest of them smiled. The test would be what Robbachass did with the boys they kidnapped. If he was as tough and as good a leader as the one they were waiting for was supposed to be he would be of real value to them. And if he was soft, then they wouldn't need him. But either way the round ears would be leaderless. They road off to their new hiding places, ready to act as soon as they could. But they also would be patient to make sure nothing went wrong. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Scooter and Douglas were pretty bored. They couldn't wait for their daily meeting to have something to do. At lunch time the mayor came home with his boy friend. The boys still couldn't believe how open they were, kissing and hugging. They made up lunch for everybody. While they all sat around the table the men started talking. Scooter could understand enough of it to get the idea. "I wish we knew more about what happened to the round eared boy in the desert. And I wonder what we can tell these boys, and what we can tell him." The talk went on like that. He would tell Douglas about it after lunch. When they were alone again Scooter told Douglas what he heard. They both agreed that somebody must have found Robert Charles. And they both agreed that was bad news. They wondered why Bandar didn't tell them anything this morning. But they didn't know how to talk to Bandar without giving away that they understood the Hakaan language. That afternoon they had their daily meeting. Scooter and Douglas told them what they found out. "Robert Charles? Still alive? He must have walked right into something," Alex said. "He is the luckiest SOB alive." Jordan said nothing. He needed to find out where Robert Charles was. He was tired of these guys now. He wanted to be back with him. As much as he didn't like him, he needed him They spent their meeting talking about if Scooter and Douglas should ask Bandar anything about somebody else being found. They decided to just play it by ear, but if he said anything that they should tell Bandar that Robert Charles was bad news. "I can't believe it," Mike told Alex. "Douglas was right. He IS like some vid monster who never dies. No matter what happens he comes back." "We need to be ready for trouble," Alex said. "Tomorrow we better come up with a plan of what to do when we meet him. Because you know we will meet him. This is just a valley after all." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Matthew got to take a little walk after school. Enghar helped him as he went to the end of the street and back on his crutches. While they went two little kids, a boy and a girl of about six or seven, ran out and looked at Matthew. They started saying things in Hakaan but they were too fast for Matthew. Enghar asked them to slow down and they did and Matthew could understand most of it. "Can we see your round ears?" they both giggled. Matthew's hair had gotten pretty long. He smiled and pushed it away from his ears. They looked at his ears, laughed, and ran back to their house. Matthew and Enghar both laughed and then kissed each other. "I need to cut my hair," Matthew said in Hakaan. "Tomorrow," Enghar answered back. They walked back to Enghar's house. Matthew was getting better with his crutches and could go pretty fast. They went up into Enghar's house. Enghar's mom and dad were there. Matthew walked up to each one and gave them a hug and got a big hug back. Matthew was feeling more and more like this was home. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Robert Charles saw it first. The tail of the "Moonduster" sticking up behind a sand dune. It was late in the day. They rode over to it. The Shkah were impressed with the shuttle They went inside to explore. The cooling was still working. They all knew that they would be staying in the shuttle, since it was cool and had lights. Robert Charles showed them where the laser guns were supposed to be stored. They brought tools with them to open it. They made up dinner first in the shuttle's microwave. Robert Charles showed them how to use the equipment. After they ate they got to work on the laser guns. It took a little over a half hour for them to get the cabinet open, but when it finally did open they all smiled. There were a dozen laser guns in there. They each had power chips that just needed a quick charge. They Shkah men could tell that this was going to give them a big advantage over the peaceful Hakaan. The battle against the Hakaan that they had planned for so long would start soon. And if Robert Charles passed his test he would be a big part of it. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The boys all decided to walk back to the homes they were staying at after the meeting. The village wasn't that big. For a couple of blocks they were all together, skipping and laughing and acting like boys for the first time in weeks. Douglas was feeling like a load was coming off his shoulders. Adults were making decisions again. He hated having the group being split up, but already he could see that the kind of decisions he had to make weren't the life and death kind. They were more like politics, like how much of what they knew they were going to reveal.. And how were they going handle finding out Robert Charles was alive. He was in charge but everybody didn't depend on him any more. He felt like a boy again and his smile was back. Brett and Jeremy broke off first. They all hugged and blew kisses and said good-bye. Next Jordan left them as they went by his house. He just said good-bye and went into the house where he was staying. No wave or anything. Douglas was starting to get worried about him. He decided he would need to talk to him tomorrow. Jim and Stevie split off next. Again they all hugged and kissed and waved. Alex and Mike wanted to walk to where Douglas and Scooter were staying. They wanted to say hi to Bandar. Then they split into two groups. Scooter, Douglas, Mike, and Alex went right. Ryan, Travis, and the twins went straight. All of them but the twins kissed and hugged. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Did you get the feeling we were being followed?" Mike asked as they walked along the road. "Yeah. I turned and looked, but I didn't see anybody," Scooter said. "But I had the same feeling." They walked and talked and sometimes looked back, looking to see if they were being followed. They all were getting a creepy feeling now. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Shkah was careful to keep his distance. He'd stay behind brush or trees or bushes. Sometimes he would duck down a different street. He reported to his three partners on his radio. One was waiting at the back of the mayor's house. The other two were in the field behind the house where the twins were staying.. "There are four heading your way. I'm not sure which one is the leader. I have kind of an idea," the follower told the one with the bow and arrow at Bandar's house. "It must be the biggest one." He was thinking of Mike, who was the biggest. Then he radioed the other two. "Four coming your way, too. The littlest ones are the ones you want." They were all worried because of the extra boys. They were willing to wait until the next day, but since they all were out and alone they thought this might be the best time to do what they were sent to do. Douglas's group stopped all of a sudden and turned. The Shkah barely slipped behind a hedge in time. "Did you see something?" Mike asked. "Something moved. I don't know what," Scooter said. "Should we go back?" Alex asked. "No," said Douglas. "Let's just be careful, go slow, and see what's behind us." They kept walking up the road slowly, looking behind them. Their follower wondered it they were getting suspicious. He decided to lay back. He knew where they were going anyway. He just wished he it was just two of them. Then he would know which one was the leader. He knew that the little blond haired boy wasn't. After that he wasn't sure. The four boys got to the front of Bandar's house and stopped. They talked for a while. They looked behind them. They didn't see anybody. "They're stopped. Are you ready in back?" "Yeah. Just tell me who to get." "I will." He just hoped it would be the right one. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The other group of four walked along another road. "I think I'm 14," Travis said. "You're not sure?" Ryan asked. "I lost track of the days. I think my birthday was a couple of days ago." Ryan grabbed him and kissed him. "I love you, Travis. I'm sorry we never said anything. I'm so sorry." "It's okay. Nobody knew. I didn't know. And we were kind of busy. I just thought about it in fact." Ryan kissed him again. He decided right then he was going to tell Douglas and the rest and have a surprise party for Travis. He would do anything for Travis. Anything. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mike kissed Douglas and then kissed Scooter. Alex traded off kisses too. "I guess we'll see each other at tomorrow's meeting," Mike said. "I think we need to talk to the mayor to give us stuff to do. Like language lessons or something. This is getting very very boring. Bandar and the rest go off to school. It's time of us to start getting with it. It looks like we just might end up growing up in this valley," Douglas said. "God, I hope not," Scooter said. "I want back home and to my dad so bad. I want to see Earthlings again." "But we have to plan thinking it could happen that way. I mean it really looks like this is going to be our home," Douglas said. "I know, my sweetums. I love you." Scooter kissed Douglas and then took his hand. They started to walk along side the house. Across and down the street they were being watched. "They just started up behind the house. Go for the dark haired one on the right. He's the one." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ They got to the long driveway up to the twin's house. The twins were ready to walk up it. "Can you guys come up the driveway with us? It's kind of scary like woods," Drew said. "Sure," Ryan said. Just then they saw Prekan come riding up the road from the other direction. He had been at a friend's house and was on his bicycle. Or at least it was close to a bicycle. Prekan stopped and smiled, his skinny little body all sweaty. Travis said he would wait with Prekan. Ryan said he would get Drew and Drake up to the end of the driveway. They started up and Travis held up a couple of fingers to show that Ryan would be right back. Ryan had a twin in each hand as he led them up the driveway. The trees and bushes were thick going up it. The house was at the end of the village and at the edge of the woods. There was a turn in the driveway before it got to the house. The two Shkah were waiting at the turn for the boys. They were expecting two little ones and were surprised to see a bigger boy between them. Now the question in their mind was, do they take him too? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Douglas and Scooter were almost at the back of the house when Mike called to them. The shooter had to pause as they walked back a few steps. "Yeah, Mike?" Douglas asked. "See if you can find out where Robert Charles is. Work on Bandar." "Will do. We love you." "We love you too!" Mike shouted back. They turned and headed to the back again. That was the easiest way to get into the house. The Shkah in the brush behind the house stood up slowly. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The two Shkah at the driveway were supposed to wait until they heard that the leader had been shot. And they were only supposed to take the two little young ones. But they figured they might never get a chance this good again. The three boys turned the corner of the dirt driveway. The Shah pulled on a rope. The rope raised up in front of the boys sending them falling to the ground as a net was dropped on top of them. They were trapped and tied before they could even cry out. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Douglas and Scooter turned the corner of the house. The shooter was standing up right behind a large bush. His arrow was loaded. He pulled back on the bow and aimed for the heart of the dark haired boy. He let go and watched the arrow fly to its target. Constructive comments are welcomed. E-mail me, Douglas DD, at TheHakaanen@Hotmail.com Authors Note: If any of you have been reading "The Watchers" here in the Nifty Sci-fi site you probably read the author's mention of this story in Chapter 6. Jervic and I have been writing each other and have formed a kind of mutual admiration society. If you haven't started reading "The Watchers" yet, do so. It's a tremendous story. I love his notes before and after. I've been posting as fast as I can to catch up to where the story was in TeenTales and haven't really had time for comments. I know a lot of readers are waiting for Chapter 37 to post, which would be the first new chapter since TeenTales shut down. After that the posting will slow down as I get the rest of the story proofread. Some of you may have noticed a few changes since the Teen Tales posting. I guess an author is never satisfied. Once I get caught up through Chapter 37 I will try to add some of my perspectives to what's been going on. Jevic has inspired me there. Douglas.